It's time to bring out the spring/summer shoes, and if you weren't really careful when you put them away, they might need a little love to look nice again. In this newsletter, we give you a whole range of environmentally friendly tips for this!

A little note, these are tips to save your shoes that are worn and no longer nice. If you have new and very expensive shoes that need care, you should contact the store where you bought them.

So these tips are: "save the shoes instead of throwing them away" Not shoe care for exclusive shoes.

Before and after heel counter – after and to the right. Step one is to get rid of all the greasy dirt.

This is what you need:

* Soap of superfatted type
* Nail brush, preferably with natural fiber
* Cloth
* Bicarbonate
* Vinegar
* Paper / newspaper to cover the surface with Soap scrub the shoe
*Products are available to buy here

1. Soap scrub Start by removing all greasy dirt such as asphalt stains.

The easiest way to do this is to use a small brush, here we use a small nail brush with natural fibers that does not damage the shoe and Västerbottenssåpa.
Can you use just any soap?
-Almost!
-It must be a superfatted soap such as linseed oil soap or Västerbottenssåpa, because it is the fat in the soap that dissolves the stubborn dirt that contains fat, as asphalt actually does.
Use lukewarm water and soap on the brush and rub thoroughly in all joints and especially on the stains. Wipe with a damp cloth.

2. Wipe off all foam with a damp cloth.

3. Take a regular eraser, school eraser.
If the sole is white, you should definitely choose a white eraser. If you still have stains on plastic and rubber parts, go over them with the eraser now.

4. Discolored textile parts.

If you have parts of the shoe in textile that have not become completely clean from the soap, then it is time for the bicarbonate. NOTE! The bicarbonate has a bleaching effect! You should not do this on dark or colored shoes as the bicarbonate can bleach the fabric. On white shoes – Apply plenty of bicarbonate, we used a teaspoon.

- Then dab with vinegar, it will start to bubble! See picture.

- Let the shoes dry with the bicarbonate on! When the shoe is completely dry, you can brush them off or take them outside and hit them against each other. Bicarbonate and dirt will then be released, and "dust off" the shoe. - If the shoe is very damp and wants to lose its shape, make balls of newspaper and fill the shoe, let it dry with paper in the shoe.

5. Time for the shoelaces.

Get the laces white again Now it's time for the shoelaces. WHITE shoelaces, because as we mentioned earlier, bicarbonate has a bleaching effect. - Put the shoelaces in a bowl with high edges. - Pour in lukewarm water.

- Pour in a splash of vinegar. (depends on how much water you have, but a couple of tablespoons in a bowl like the one in the picture, about 3.5 dl of water + 3 tablespoons of vinegar) - Then add bicarbonate. Start with a teaspoon, make sure it doesn't bubble over. If more is needed, take an extra teaspoon. It should bubble vigorously for a while.

- Let the shoelaces lie in the mixture for at least an hour. - Hang the laces to dry, without rinsing them. - When they have dried, shake them vigorously, outdoors, and they are like new again!

EXTRA TIPS

If the insole is completely worn down and destroyed – replace with new ones.
If the shoe smells bad, moisten a paper towel with vinegar and let it lie in the shoe overnight.
If the shoe has lost its shape, make balls of newspaper and fill the shoe when it is damp. Tie the shoe and let it dry with paper in the shoe.
A last resort is to run the shoes in the washing machine BUT this is at your own risk and should only be done when "all hope is lost" of getting the shoe clean in any other way. There is a high risk that the shoes will be destroyed if they are washed in the machine.

Pictures – after & before

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog!
It is written by Västerbottenssåpa, Sara Idenfors.

All products are environmentally friendly and can be ordered atwww.vasterbottenssapa.se